In assessing the incredibly weak hand that Republicans are holding with less than eight weeks before midterm elections, conservative columnist Jennifer Rubin makes this excellent point at the Washington Post today:

Finally, the entire GOP argument that if Democrats are elected, the Democrats will investigate corruption, obstruction, his fitness to govern, etc., is getting more nutty by the day. Democrats’ response is increasingly effective: That’s right, it’s about time someone held Trump and his cronies accountable.

Stoking fear that Congress would do its job without spineless Republican majority leaders somehow doesn’t “sing” as a GOP campaign message. And if ever there was a felt need to keep Trump in check, his constant media presence surely will remind voters that an unchecked Trump is a dangerous Trump.

The problem, of course, is the president himself. Trump has become radioactive to all but his most rabid supporters. Recent polling makes that clear, even in the Midwest and Rust Belt states that delivered him the White House back in 2016.

Trump’s administration is little more than a shabby Pandora’s box of comically inept corruption, blatant cronyism, nepotism, and self-dealing. That’s when it’s not being criminally negligent or malevolently cruel.

If the best case the GOP can make to voters is that they need to return a Republican majority to Congress in order to protect that sorry record, they may as well not contest the race at all.

**Editor’s note — Holy cow it’s been a long time since I’ve managed to post! I’ve been a little preoccupied with the end of summer and adjusting to a new role at my university as chair of the Department of Political Science. For those of you who’ve forgotten that you subscribe to this gem of a blog, apologies for the reminder. For those of you who actually missed the blog, I’m sorry to disappoint you with this effort, but thanks for sticking around.